RFID methods are widely used in a number of applications, including smart cards, item tracking in manufacturing, inventory management in retail, etc. An RFID tag can be attached, e.g., to an inventory item. An RFID reading terminal can be configured to read the memory of an RFID tag attached to an inventory item.
Additionally, in a retail sales environment, the use of handheld RFID reading devices to perform department inventory offers the potential benefits of performing such inventory operations more quickly than manual inventorying and hence at a lower cost, as well as improving the accuracy of inventory counts.
However, there are drawbacks to this approach. Indeed, studies have shown these potential benefits of using RFID methods are only partially realized, mainly due to incomplete coverage of merchandise on fixtures in the retail department. As a result, inaccurate inventory counts are recorded using at least some RFID methods, leading to sub-optimal revenue (i.e. due to over- or under-stocking resulting from the inaccurate inventory counts).
What is needed is a system and method for determining what portions of a given retail fixture have been properly inventoried using a handheld RFID reader. Such a system would ideally be easily integrated into existing handheld RFID reader products. As a result, the potential benefits of using handheld RFID reading devices for inventory operations will be realized to a much greater extent, increasing the revenue of the retail establishment.